Just when you think you’ll never pick up those sai again, suddenly it’s 20 years later, you’re 51, and you get the call from Marvel–and you’re right back in. Jennifer Garner will reprise her role as Marvel’s Elektra in the upcoming Deadpool 3, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jennifer Garner played the role of Elektra Natchios in the 2003 Daredevil film, and again in 2005’s Elektra. Now she’ll return to the role for Deadpool 3. Deadpool 3 seems to be bringing a handful of actors out of superhero retirement. After years of goofing on each other on social media, Ryan Reynolds announced Deadpool 3 alongside Hugh Jackman, who confirmed that he’ll be coming out of retirement to once again play Wolverine.
THR’s report also comes on the heels of rumors that Ben Affleck himself would be returning as Daredevil for the movie, as well as rumors earlier this spring that James Marsden, Famke Janssen, and Halle Barry would return as Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm, respectively. These rumors are strictly that–rumors–but Garner’s return seems to lend some credence to them potentially being true.
As THR notes, Garner’s involvement would point toward Deadpool 3 having some kind of multiverse component. It makes sense for the series; Ryan Reynolds first portrayed a version of the character alongside Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the first Deadpool film released even as the X-Men films had been rebooted with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender in the roles of Charles Xavier and Magneto. Fox released the first two Deadpool films, while this third one will be under Disney’s Marvel Studios.
In other words, the fourth-wall-breaking Merc with a Mouth is kind of a one-man multiverse himself. We’re willing to bet that he, Garner, and any other rumored returning actors will be working overtime to poke fun at their past roles. Garner in particular was one of the first women to lead a superhero movie in Elektra, but the movie performed poorly at the box office and with critics–it sports a remarkable 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The whole thing calls to mind the final moments of the recent Flash film, which ended with a tongue-in-cheek cameo from a former DC Comics actor.
Shawn Levy, who previously worked with Reynolds on Free Guy and The Adam Project, is directing the film. Alongside Reynolds, Jackman, and Garner, returning actors include Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Negasonic Adult Warhead now?), Karan Soni as Dopinder, and Rob Delaney as Peter, the only surviving member of Deadpool’s X-Force. Deadpool 3 is currently set to release on May 4, 2024.